Brentford striker Ollie Watkins laughed off suggestions of a transfer after being approached by Aston Villa fans as he returned from his holiday.
The 24-year-old is one of a number of the Bees’ stars being tipped to leave the club this summer, following their failure to win promotion to the Premier League.
Watkins, along with teammate Said Benrahma, has been linked with a move to Leeds United, among others, as he weighs up his options ahead of the new season.
Having struck 26 goals as Brentford almost grabbed automatic promotion before losing in the play-off final to Fulham, the former Exeter frontman is certain to attract plenty of interest.
One possibility could see him link back up with Dean Smith – the Villa boss was the man who signed Watkins at Brentford before he made the move to the midlands in 2018.
The question of a move to Villa was put directly to Watkins as he made his way back to the UK after holidaying on the Greek island of Mykonos.
The striker was spotted by Villa fan Daz Hassall at Thessloniki Airport, who got Watkins to pose for a picture with him before asking him the question.
According to BirminghamLive, Watkins smiled and laughed as he chose not to answer, with the Villa fan commenting on his picture with the striker: “Maybe the thumbs up means he’s coming!”
Brentford are thought to value Watkins at around £25million, with no suggestion yet that Leeds have made a bid, while Villa are said to rate the striker at just under £20million.
